It has been my pleasure to serve on the Town Council for six years with Mark Kleinschmidt, and now I want to add my voice to those urging you to vote for him for mayor. Mark has been in leadership positions on important initiatives, helping to create the conditions that have led Chapel Hill—just this year—to being named both America’s Most Livable City and Best Place in the Country to Start a Business. Such honors are regularly earned by Chapel Hill, in large part because of progressive policy decisions that have led to our phenomenally successful fare-free transit system (7 million rides a year), the purchase and maintenance of open space and parklands, and other environmentally important initiatives including a strong stormwater management program and land use ordinances that protect the natural environment. With Mark’s leadership, we have achieved these goals and more, all the while maintaining a AAA bond rating (a rarity for small cities).
As chair of the Council’s economic development committee, Mark oversaw the town’s hiring of its first economic development officer, and he continues to take a leadership position in working to bring new business to town. Mark is also a strong advocate for the Downtown Partnership, which has been working to improve the life of the downtown through creating open wireless network; revitalizing the street life by hiring musicians to perform on the sidewalks; championing a new lighting system; and more.
In our successful negotiations with UNC over the development agreement for Carolina North, I witnessed Mark’s persuasive leadership on important issues such as fiscal equity and the permanent conservation of open space.
In the current climate—when many of us are faced with at least a double hit, from the recession generally and last year’s property reevaluations in particular—the economy, and taxes, are important issues. Mark is committed to maintaining a lean, efficient town government. But I am proud of him for what he hasn’t said: he has not uttered the words “No new taxes.” Why not? Because one Council member alone—even if he is the mayor—does not have the power to make that decision. And further, because such a pledge is bad policy. It puts too much at risk—including the planned expansion of the public library that the voters have overwhelmingly supported in a bond referendum.
As a community we have worked diligently and prudently to establish several long-range community goals. In recent years we've established a debt management fund that makes it less likely that we will have to raise taxes in order to achieve these goals, but adopting the mantra of no new taxes promises only to replicate the failed fiscal policies that endangered public services for our nation in the early 90s and for our state earlier this decade. We knew what a great town Chapel Hill was even before the National Conference of Mayors named us the Most Livable City in America, but in order to continue to live up to that recognition we need to remain true to the community process and the priorities we have set for ourselves. We must not give in to feel-good rhetoric that has the potential to put even basic services on the chopping block. Mark trusts our community to work through issues carefully, through broad and open public deliberations, as the best way of deciding what we value enough to fund and what we can live without.
Mark is a leader, a listener, and a proven team-builder. I’ve seen these qualities demonstrated consistently for my six years on the Council. He will be a great mayor. I urge you to join me in casting your vote for him on Tuesday.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
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